Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-01-27

4 0~NS%& va - ~|%~ 80 - = -
gloves than without" did ~ ar-
que the point. nor did | 1zsn lse
searched me for money and ioqnd .
roll of Confederate bills. thraa hun
dred dollars in amount. So muSe III tbs
gentleman highwaymap'' yet ssnain-
ed to this son OF the chevaliers. zsat in
examining them he returned ns|eve-
~ 81 note. reserving to hinsslf Ill Of
higher denominations. Thus left
me $ll, or enough. as prices thaj ran.
to buy a breakfast at the nex | farm
house. Finding no further tbpe 81
plumber. our Visitors mouI aud
Foaeaa@ay ,lisaprearing i ta1dsniy
and completely as though swallowed
by darkness.
AT dawn we broke camp and moved
on, shortly afterward crossing the Pc
river. Here the officer in charge OF
the ferry came suddenly at my back
and demanded my name in the ex-
plosive manner which is supposed to
take one unawares and unmask de-
ception if any. But the trick was
stale and had been rehearsed upon
me SO often already that was able
to answer with entire calmness, ac-
cording to papers. "Ars you under
British protection" he further in
quired. No, Southern" I replied,
and, smiling, be left me.
This made FIVE times nay passport
had served its purpose satisfactorily, as,
indeed, it we'll might do, since it was
a genuine paper, regularly issued by
the recognized authorities, and ] be-
gan to feel greater faith in its eff
cacy than I had at starting. Two
more woald see me out, not to count
the side issues in the shape Of guerril-
las and sooqters, which were liable to
crop up at any time or place.
Early on the following day We
reached the crossing of the Mattapo-
nj, where We were delayed for hours.
4 rpmor of Buffers advance, assisted
by the reflection of the campires our
party had lighted at the old church,
had created an alarm and thrown the
neigL6orhood into disorder. The only
means OF ferriage consisted of an old
scow, which as a precautionary .se1s.
ure had been runNniles down the riv-
er, for the tine rendering the ferry
impossible. A number of very old
men, all that could be spared from
field service for home guard, were
gathered at the ferry, but most Of
them on the farther side. Passports
were now examined for the sixth lime.
A numerous party of refugees We're
waiting for some means Of crossing the
river, and among them l saw two
whom l knew, Harry Hall, captain
of New York regiment, and young
Englishman, lieutenant and staff Of
fcer, named Campbell, and known
among US as Bull" either because of
his nationality or from special trait
of pluckiness and determination which
characterized him. The first I had
known in my old command, ere straps
Or bars had graced our shoulders, and
both had seen III Libby patient un-
der privation, brave amidst suffering,
and bearing their lot without a muir
muir while the craving for food never
ceased and the gnawing of hunger lett
body no rest, awake or asleep.
Though our recognition was mutu
al, it was quite without outward sign,
and when they strolled careiessly up
the edge of the river. as though to
pass the time till the return of the
scow, l furtively followed them, ger
for their news. When well out Of
sight | joined them and learned that
they had escaped through the tunnel
on the night of the 7th. only few
hours after my own fitting, and had
travelled thus far BY slow and painful
degrees, evading pickets and skulking
as far as possible under cover. where
cover was, and sheltered by darkness
when naught else would serve. They
urged me eagerly to join them, aud
were SO bent upon my seeking with
them a crossing further up stream that
| could not refuse without a quarrel.
/ implOred them to Join the crowd of
refugees which was necessarily on the
road, sure that they might get through,
as many others did; but as they had
no passports, they were unwilling to
risk that course. Inquiry among coun-
try folk Of the neighborhOod had Civ
en- them the fact that somewhere"
further up there was a series of boul-
ders which, il extreme caution were
used, made crossing just possible. and
this they were determined to try. 4
walk of several miles discovered the